Warehouse Workers Discrimination

1028 Words3 Pages

In 2010, seven warehouse workers filed a lawsuit against a trucking company charging them with segregating black workers from white workers in the plant. They were abused by fellow employees and supervisors with racial slurs such as “lazy, stupid Africans” and were frequently called the N-word. When a new station manager was hired, the examples of racism became even more blatant. Her behavior became increasingly malicious, encouraging the ongoing treatment by supervisors and employees. According to the Denver Post, “the plaintiffs, who were part-time workers, were discriminated against at all phases of employment, including hiring, termination, conditions of employment, promotion, vacation pay, furlough, discipline, work shifts, …show more content…

Depending on the nature of the organization and the type of work involved, the possibility/opportunity for this kind of grievous behavior can be amplified. Although written in 1998, a statement by K. Arrow pierces the veil of prejudice we experience in situations like the one noted above, “The main point is that personal interactions occur throughout this process, and therefore there is plenty of room for discriminatory beliefs and preferences to play a role which would be much less likely in a market subject to competitive pressures (Arrow, 1998).” Of the seven plaintiffs, four were from Mali, West Africa and one was from Brazil. With their dark skin, heavy accents and different cultural reference points, they were easy targets for organizations who ignore the value of diversity and inclusion in the workplace and who do not have established policies and practices in that area. This scenario is played out multiple times, in every city, every day. Understanding that this degrading, abusive situation continues to exist demands from each of one of us a deeper awareness and desire for sustained, effective …show more content…

When it is evident that a manager or supervisor acted in a discriminatory manner, the organization can begin to repair the damage done by terminating the employee/employees and instituting diversity practices and policies that conform to the dictates of the law. In doing so, the company can take advantage of this situation to re-evaluate its organizational culture and implement changes. The damages or threat of damages can encourage an organization to make a financial commitment in this area and begin to initiate significant adjustments and revisions. Action steps would include; acknowledging wrong doing, offering apologies and compensation to the victims, appointing an outside consultant or firm to set up appropriate diversity and inclusion policies, practices and implementation guidelines and monitoring on-going

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